whiplash

noun

whip·​lash ˈ(h)wip-ˌlash 

1

: the lash of a whip

2

: something resembling a blow from a whip

the whiplash of fear

—R. S. Banay

3

: injury resulting from a sudden sharp whipping movement of the neck and head (as of a person in a vehicle that is struck from the rear by another vehicle)

Examples of whiplash in a Sentence

He got whiplash when his car was rear-ended.

Recent Examples on the Web

Within that whiplash is supposed to be some truth about the human experience and our fluid definition of America, but Untamed so shallowly presents the National Parks that the series never really draws you in enough to care about either the splendor or the menace. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 July 2025

The millions of Americans with student loans, who have already experienced whiplash in federal policy since the pandemic, must again brace for change. —Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 11 July 2025

Genest said Newsom’s sudden reversal on the in-office order, just a week before it was set to take effect, created unnecessary whiplash for departments that were scrambling to prepare enough office space to accommodate returning employees. —Calmatters, Mercury News, 10 July 2025

Advocates for the protection of America’s most popular wilderness area are experiencing whiplash this week, as the Trump Administration and its supporters in Congress continue to chip away at the current protections surrounding the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 12 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for whiplash

• backlash
• chumash
• eyelash
• moustache
• mustache
• noncash
• potash
• rehash
• ash
• bash
• brash
• cache

Kids Definition

whiplash

noun

whip·​lash -ˌlash 

1

: the lash of a whip

2

: injury resulting from a sudden sharp jerking movement of the head and neck (as of a person in a car that is struck from behind by another car)

Medical Definition

whiplash

noun

whip·​lash ˈhwip-ˌlash, ˈwip- 

: injury resulting from a sudden sharp whipping movement of the neck and head (as of a person in a vehicle that is struck head-on or from the rear by another vehicle)